Hash House Harrier roots
extend back to the old English schoolboy game of "Hares and Hounds,"
in which some players, called "hounds," chase others, called "hares,"
who have left a trail of paper scraps along their route across fields, hedges,
streams, bogs, and hills. One of the earliest Hares and Hounds events on record
was the "Crick Run" at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England, first
held in 1837.

Hare and Hounds as an adult
sport began in the fall of 1867 with a group of London oarsmen who wanted to
keep fit during the winter. Also called "Paper Chasing" or the "Paper
Chase," the game became very popular after its introduction on Wimbledon
Common in 1868 by the Thames Hare and Hounds. Early clubs called themselves
"Hare and Hounds" or simply "Harriers."

Early Harriers

The idea of Harriers chasing
paper was not new to Malaya (now Malaysia) in 1938, as there had been such clubs
before in Kuala Lumpur and Johore Bahru, and there were clubs in existence in
Malacca and Ipoh (the Kinta Harriers) at the time. "Horse" Thomson
(one of the KLH3 founding fathers) recalled being invited on a run, shortly
after his arrival in Johore Bahru in 1932, which chased a paper trail and followed
basic Hash rules every week but was so magically organised that it had no name.
The club flourished in the early 1930's but is believed to have died out around
1935.

The other branch of our
ancestry comes from Malacca, where by Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert,
an English chartered accountant (known to his friends as 'G') was posted
in 1937. He joined a club called the Springgit Harriers, who also operated weekly
under Hash rules and which is believed to have been formed in 1935. Some months
later, 'Torch' Bennett visited him and came as a guest on a few runs.

The Hash
House

The Original
Hash House (Kuala Lumpur) Circa 1938

The 'Hash House' was the mildly derogative nickname given (for its unimaginative,
monotonous food) to the Selangor Club Chambers, by the British Civil Servants
and businessman who lived and dined there. Originally, the ground floor housed
the main Selangor Club dining room, and between the two World Wars it became
a social center of the times, used regularly for lunch time meals by the members
who worked in the immediate vicinity.

Situated close to and behind
the present Selangor Club, it's function changed after independence and it became
a key office for the local Water Board, as it was the place where all Kuala
Lumpur (K.L.) residents came to pay their water bills. Sadly, it gave way to
the relentless march of time around 1964, being bulldozed to the ground under
the north-bound lane Jalan Kuching. The buildings housing the original stables
and servants quarters are still in existence.

Hash House Harriers

By 1938, Thomson, Lee, and
Gispert had all moved to K.L. and founded their own club, following the rules
they had learnt elsewhere. The principal original members were:

The philosophy of
the original Hash House Harriers from the 1938 charter:

-To promote physical fitness
among our members
-To get rid of weekend hangovers
-To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
-To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

It is not clear that the
club actually had a name at the very beginning, but Gispert is credited with
proposing the 'Hash House Harriers' when the Registrar of Societies required
the gathering to be legally registered.

'Torch' Bennett technically
missed being a founder member, because he was then on leave, but on his return
he introduced the first necessary organisation - a bank account, a balance sheet
and some system. More importantly, he seems, with Philip Wickens who joined
later in 1939, to have helped to keep things going immediately after the war.

Sadly, Gispert had only
a short time with his extraordinary creation, being killed in the fighting on
Singapore Island on February 11th, 1942, whilst serving with the Argylls. But
with the exception of Philip Wickens who died in 1981, and Lew Davidson who
died very recently, the rest of the hardy band of hashers hare still with us
and the KL hash House Harriers keeps in touch with them all. [Editor's note:
Torch died soon after this was prepared in 1992]

The founding members were
all British, although Gispert was actually Spanish in origin, his parents having
migrated to London some time before he was born. Extraordinarily both he and
Bennett were accountants, as were Paul Barnard and Jack Bridewell who made a
significant contribution to our activities of later years. Some Hash psychiatrist
should investigate where this work leads to extreme forms of escapism.

The HHH duly celebrated
it 100th run on 15 August 1941, but only 17 runs later was forced into temporary
hibernation by the arrival of the Japanese.

Post-war
Rebirth

Post World War II, it was
nearly 12 months before the survivors reassembled. 'Torch' Bennett put in a
claim for the lost hash mugs, a tin bath and two old bags, on the fund set up
with the proceeds from confiscated Japanese property and run No. 1 was a trot
around the racecourse in August, 1946. Subsequent to the 1,000th post war run
the celebrations surround it were considered to be such a success that the 117
official pre-war runs were added to the total as we could celebrate the 2,000th
run as soon as possible.

With the advent of the Emergency
in 1948, the Hash was automatically in bad official odour, as their activities
were generally illegal in terms of the curfew imposed on most of the areas surround
Kuala Lumpur and in the years 1948-51, they maintained a precarious existence
at best. The turn round came with the famous bandit incident at Cheras.

This has been widely misreported,
but what actually happened was that below where the Lady Templer Hospital is
now, in an area that was then rubber and belukar, the Hares on a darkening and
rainy evening came across some men wrapped in ground sheets sleeping on the
ground. The following pack found the bandits on their feet but someone, in the
general confusion nobody got hurt. One member ran to Cheras Police Station and
raised the alarm; the army laid ambushes on tracks leading out of the area and
first thing the following morning bagged three bandits trying to break out.
One of them was found to have a substantial price on his head and the bounty
was shared among the non-government employees on the run (government servants
were not allowed to participate in such rewards).

Other colourful incidents
related by Cecil Lee, include how 'Torch' Bennett once nearly drowned in quicksand,
and how on one memorable occasion the erstwhile unathletic 'G' was actually
leading the pack: sadly his moment of glory was short lived as the paper trail
turned to be false. Swimming would seem to be an unofficial prerequisite to
all Hashmen too, for Cecil remembers having had to swim across a mining pool
in order to get home after being lost on one occasion, and on another it is
reported that several Hashmen ran in to a stream where bathed some unsuspecting
Malay maidens. The girls screamed; their menfolk came hurtling to the rescue
with the unsheathed parangs flashing, and the errant Hashmen broke land speed
records in the eagerness to clear the scene.

The Hash Spreads Out

The second Hash Chapter
was founded in Singapore in 1962, [Editor's note: The Royal Italian Bordighera
Hash was begun in the late '40s but died by the late '50s. It was later resurrected
by members of the Milan H3] followed by Kuching in 1963, Brunei, Kota Kinabalu
and Ipoh in 1964, Penang in 1965, and Perth was the first outside Malaysia and
Singapore in 1967.

1974 the total was
only 35 clubs (The time of K.L. 1,500th run)1992 the total was around 1,100 clubs in over 135 countries
& all continents (including Antarctica)1999 the total was around 1,700 clubs in over 180 countries

So the expansion of the
HHH has been spectacular indeed. Kabul HHH understandably foundered, but what
can it be like to hash in Sinai, Peking, Addis Ababa or the Falkland Islands?
[Editor's note: The aforementioned second hash dating back to 1962 was founded
in Singapore by Ian Cumming who is still actively hashing with the New York
H3. He is also a primary contributor to every hash songbook].

Interhash

The first attempt at an
Interhash get-together was the K.L. 1,000th post-war run in 1966, and the spectacular
1500th run in 1973 when attendance was something over 300. Interhash 1978 in
Hong Kong broke new ground with an attendance around 800; Interhashes 1980 and
1982 were credited with 1,200 - 1,300; Interhash 1984 with rather more Interhash
1986 broke the 2,000 barrier with 2,143.

Attendance at Bali for Interhash
1988 was reported to bet between 2,600 and 2,700. Interhash 1990 in Manila was
affected by the then current state of emergency in the country, but nevertheless
some 1,600 intrepid Hashers were let loose in Manila and survived to tell the
tale.

Interhash 1992 in Phuket,
Thailand does not seem to be affected by the recent unhappy turmoil in Bangkok
and, judging by reported registrations the numbers are set to pass 3,000. [Editor's
note: Interhash 1994 in New Zealand drew nearly 4,000, Interhash 1996 in Cyprus
drew 6,000 and Interhash 1998 in Kuala Lumpur had over 7,000 participants]

Combined from sources including:
notes written in 1992 by Mike Lyons from the copious research material prepared
by John Duncan. Transcribed in 1994 by Tom "Self-Executing Officer"
Moore, On-Sec, Boston H3, and edited by Chas. "ZiPpY tC" Baumerich,
On-Sec, Pikes Peak H4.

NOTE:

This 'version' of the history
is disputed by RMBHHH.

One of the originals, Gus
McKay, left KL for military service in the war
and ended up liberating Italy. He eventually married an Italian woman that
he had liberated and settled with her at Bordighera on the Med. Shortly
after or during his wedding he was visited by old timers from KL and, of
course, they hashed.

The Bordighera hash was
infrequent but recruited locals and military
during the post war years - including the son of the then king of Italy
who was studying nearby, hence "Royal" Bordighera HHH. Gus died in
the
60's leaving a widow, and the hash lapsed.

Many years later a hash
was founded in Milan (about 1990) by Rob 'Bwana'
Walker. Making contact with KL hashers he was informed of the history (by
'Magic' Johnson) and suggested to try to make contact with any survivors.
Mrs McKay was still alive and one or two others and so a 'joint hash' was
held where it was decided to merge the two hashes and take over the number
of runs from RBHHH. Hence 'Royal Milan and Bordighera HHH'. Mrs McKay,
though not active, became the most venerated Grand Matress and attended
once a year for some years.

Every year the RMBHHH returns
to the coastal area near Bordighera for the
'Ghost on the Coast' hash where the ghost of Gus McKay frequently
re-appears.

Singapore (and others) dispute
RMBHHH's claim to be the second oldest hash
apparantly on the grounds that the hash has not been continuous. However
even the mother hash KL was suspended during the war.

I have the distinction of
being the worst hash cash RMBHHH ever had.
Becoming rapidly and frequently pissed (it is largely a wine drinking
hash) my numeracy skills deserted me most times I was required to actually
'do something' (all those big numbers - thousands and thousands of Lira).
Especially difficult as the hash fee included the Trattoria meal.

Most hashers know that the San Diego HHH started the annual Red Dress Run
tradition in 1988. Most hashers also know there actually was a “lady in
a red dress” behind it all. Some time in 1987 a member of the Long Beach
HHH brought a virgin to the hash. The young lady ran trail wearing high
heels and a red dress, and later that night went hot tubbing with her new friends,
in (or out of?) that same little red dress. The Lady in Red still hashes, and
attends Red Dress Runs whenever she can. I was fortunate enough to meet her
at the jHavelina Hash House Harriers’ Red Dress Run in Tucson, Arizona, where
she gave me her own write-up on the events of that night in 1987, the night
that started one of the great hashing traditions, the annual Red Dress Run.
Here, in her own words, is the history of the Red Dress Run.
- Flying Booger

Continued:
See half mind website for full text >>>>

...........

Extract:
The Lady in Red:

"Ah,
where to begin the tale of the legend of The Lady in Red and the original run?
Well, way back in 1987, a friend that I had known since high school days
convinced me to come to Long Beach, California for a “visit, some beers, and
to meet a few friends.” I needed a break and it sounded relaxing, so I packed
a toothbrush and not much more as I grabbed a flight to the Coast for the visit.
"

............................

"I
watched the start of the run from the edge of the group. There was horn blowing,
yelling, whistles blowing, and in an instant they were all gone, leaving me
to watch the cloud of dust settle. I stood there looking at the chalk still
in my hand. I had signed the forms, had been promised beer, and I was going
to run. So, in a red dress and heels, I did just that. "

.............................

The
Lady in Red carried on to say:

"The
following year I had moved to Houston, Texas, where the San Diego Hash House
Harriers tracked me down, sent me plane tickets, and demanded that I attend
the first annual Red Dress Run being held in my honor! Word had spread
up and down the Coast and hashers from all over California attended. Men
and women alike were required to wear red dresses. I was later told that
hundreds attended. California newspapers and TV news serviced covered the event"